Managing Change
It is a recognised fact that an efficient air traffic management (ATM) system can play a significant role in reducing aviation's carbon dioxide output and improving the industry's environmental image.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the scientific body established by the World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme, for example, estimates that improved ATM has the potential to result in a 6-12% cut in emissions.
With traffic in the Asia-Pacific region set to double over the next 20 years, culminating in Asia becoming the largest single aviation market, environmentally-friendly ATM is vital for the region. "Asia has an opportunity to become a model of best practice in ATM," says Giovanni Bisignani, director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association. The fact that the average age of the Asian fleet is 9.8 years, compared to an industry average of 11.8 years, is also in the region's favour. "The region has a head-start with a modern fleet. Now we must drive improvements in ATM by harmonising across the region and maximising the capabilities of modern aircraft to set a benchmark of efficiency for others to follow," he says.
Individual air traffic service providers in the region are already doing their part. Airservices Australia, for example, could play a significant role in improving air transport's environmental profile as it is responsible for airspace that covers 11% of the Earth's surface. Airservices is taking its environmental responsibilities seriously and exploring all phases of the flight where environmental gains can be made. For example, pre-tactical departure clearance is being used at Sydney and Melbourne airports to reduce the environmental impact of delays by holding aircraft on the ground rather than in the air. A five minute delay on the ground can reduce CO2 emissions on a typical Melbourne-Sydney flight - one of the top five busiest city pairings in the world - by more than 600kg (1,320lb), according to Airservices.
The service provider's continuous descent approach (CDA) trial, meanwhile, whereby an aircraft flies a continuous and uninterrupted descent at idle power from cruise altitude to landing, is demonstrating fuel savings in the order of 400kg per arrival and more than a tonne of reduced CO2.
Saving Fuel and Emissions
Area navigation (RNAV) approaches being tested at Brisbane airport are using satellite navigation and the avionics capabilities of new generation aircraft to support more precise tracks. The final visual segment of the approach is minimised, meaning less holding time. As a result, the Brisbane trial is producing average savings per flight of 280kg of fuel and around 900kg of CO2, says Airservices.
In addition, the service provider's ATM long-range optimal flow tool (ALOFT) is reducing delays at Sydney by adjusting the cruising speed of aircraft en route.
Flextracks - non-fixed air traffic routes that are optimised for the prevailing weather on a daily basis - have been used by several carriers between Australia and Asia and the Middle East for some years, resulting in fuel savings of up to 8%. Airservices is now examining whether Flextracks could be applied in the domestic environment.
Airservices' implementation of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) in Australian upper airspace is also expected to have environmental benefits through using optimum trajectories. The service provider is also championing use of ADS-B technology throughout the region, with a programme operating in Indonesia and discussions on future activities ongoing with other countries.
Across the Tasman, Airways New Zealand has implemented several initiatives designed to result in improved efficiency and reduced emissions in its 37 million km2 of airspace. The service provider estimates that its focus on efficient vectoring and flow control has already resulted in fuel savings of NZ$20 million ($16 million) per annum.
Among the initiatives recently introduced is the collaborative arrivals manager (CAM) which involves the sharing of real-time information between airlines, airport authorities and Airways NZ to ensure agreed scheduling during disruptive weather conditions. CAM is allowing airlines to actively co-operate to get priority flights moving, says Airways NZ. "The result is fuel economies driven by more effective scheduling, with a subsequent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as holding patterns in the air and engine idling on the ground are significantly reduced," says Airways NZ.
Preferred Routing
Airways NZ has done much over the years to improve the efficiencies in its vast oceanic airspace. User preferred routing (UPR), allowing pilots to alter their routes en route to achieve better flight efficiency by using prevailing wind patterns, has been operational in New Zealand oceanic airspace for several years, while dynamic airborne rerouting is allowing pilots to alter their routes based on the latest weather information in real time.
In a world first, Airways NZ has also implemented 30/30nm (16km) horizontal separation as standard within its oceanic sector, which results in further efficiency and emission reductions through improved access to preferred routes and flight levels, says the service provider.
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A concept the service provider is beginning to explore in oceanic airspace is the "Perfect Flight" a project aiming to identify exactly how much fuel can be saved by using the best ATM and navigation technology available. Airways NZ is exploring the concept with Air New Zealand, Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration, which would involve a flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Auckland using UPRs, dynamic re-routing and FAA initiatives. "The aim is to get a value figure to see exactly what the technology is capable of achieving," says Airways NZ.
Closer to land, last year Airways NZ conducted an optimised arrival trial with Air New Zealand and Qantas which involved the airlines' Boeing 747s using continuous descent approach procedures into Auckland airport. The fuel-optimised descents were flown with aircraft engines set at idle, significantly reducing fuel burn and emissions. The trial ended last May and Airways NZ says it is "pretty thrilled with the results", estimating that a single arrival can save 100-250kg of fuel. The service provider's long-term vision is to offer optimised arrivals operationally at Auckland and extend it throughout the country.
Airways NZ is also looking to optimise the domestic route structure. "We're reviewing all of our routes to create a more direct and efficient route structure with this to be achieved by 2010-2015," says the service provider.
While individual service providers and states are implementing their own ATM initiatives with environmental benefits in mind, co-ordinated joint activities are gathering pace.
In February, for example, three of the world's major air navigation service providers - Airservices Australia, Airways NZ and the US FAA - signed a trilateral agreement to accelerate the development of ATC procedures that will reduce aviation's environmental footprint worldwide.
Regional Platform
The Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE) aims to provide a regional platform to showcase the region's leadership in global aviation emissions reductions to ensure that as aviation grows its environmental impact is reduced.
The agreement brings together three service providers that have already done significant work individually on reducing emissions, says Airways NZ. "The FAA, Airservices Australia and Airways NZ have been at the forefront of technology and procedure development for numerous advanced air navigation service enhancements in the oceanic environment that are already reducing fuel burn and CO2 emissions on individual flights," says Ashley Smout, Airways NZ chief executive.
He adds: "Through ASPIRE, Airways NZ and our air navigation partners in the USA and Australia are committing to work closely with airline customers and other stakeholders to accelerate development of operational procedures which will further reduce the environmental footprint of aircraft in our combined airspace for all phases of flight - from gate to gate."
Collabaration
It is early days in the alliance and as yet there are no concrete details, but initially the plan is to collaborate and share information on initiatives already developed by the three. "The dialogue has begun. We're currently trying to understand the priorities and see where we can achieve immediate gains," says Airways NZ.
Further down the track the partners are keen to involve other stakeholders with a view to co-ordinating the regions attempts at delivering environmentally friendly ATM and even provide some sort of global leadership on the issue, says Airways NZ.
IATA, meanwhile, has expended considerable effort in implementing more efficient routes that reduce flight times and cut emissions. In 2007 alone four million tonnes of CO2 was saved by shortening more than 300 routes worldwide, while operational changes saved a further seven million tonnes of CO2, says the organisation. Much of this work has been focused on Asia, where IATA says two million tonnes of CO2 have been saved.
In China, for example, the IATA-1 or Y-1 route was introduced in 2006. The route reduces flight times between China and Europe by an average of 30min, resulting in annual reductions of 2,860h of flight time, 270,000t of fuel, 84,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 340,000kg of nitrogen oxides emission, according to IATA.
Last July two more flexible entry/exit points were opened for polar operations, bringing the total to five. IATA estimates these two new points will save 76,000t of CO2 a year. "We continue to work with the authorities on more entry points to connect to polar routes that take best advantage of winds and weather," says the association.
IATA has also been working with the Chinese authorities on the Olympic Bypass which will serve flights operating between Europe and Shanghai, as well as destinations in eastern and southern China. The Olympic Bypass route structure will save 82,000t of CO2 annually, says IATA.
IATA has also been working with the Indian authorities to improve the efficiency of the route structure in that country. Some more direct routes over India have already been introduced, which has resulted in a shortening of flights over India between western Europe and South-East Asia. IATA is also working with the Indian authorities to implement new crossing points with Pakistan, expected to save 102,000t of CO2 annually.
Work is also under way in India to implement RNAV procedures for arrival and departure at international airports and in terminal airspace. The Airports Authority of India has already introduced this at Mumbai airport, with Delhi airport set to follow. RNAV procedures in India will save some 14,000t of CO2, IATA estimates.
IATA says it is also working closely with ICAO to expedite the implementation of performance-based navigation in the region, as well as collaborating with the relevant authorities on implementing UPRs in the Pacific to enhance the efficiency of long-haul flights.
Working Group
Asia Pacific air navigation service providers have started working together to address environmental issues collectively. The Asia Pacific Air Navigation Service Provider Conference has established a working group to look at establishing smooth transitions across flight boundaries in the region with the aim of creating seamless airspace. The groups' work is guided by environmental principles.
At a higher political level, at last year's meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the region's transport ministers agreed to work on a plan for the region to use industry best practice ATM to improve efficiency.
This is precisely the action that needs to be taken by Asia, according to IATA's Bisignani. "Asia could drive this forward with a co-ordinated ATM plan for the region's patchwork of technologies that delivers the best results for capabilities we have onboard our aircraft. If successful, this could be a model for other regions to follow," he says. Without such a co-ordinated approach IATA believes that Asia will soon share the inefficiencies as encountered in European skies.
To try to prevent this, Bisignani has suggested that a new regional body is formed involving governments and industry to co-ordinate air policy issues in Asia.
Bisignani says: "Asia is our industry's future and it is our today. As we move forward with the vision towards carbon neutral growth on our way to carbon-free technology, Asia has a leadership role to play."
For more on Clear Skies initiatives see our next environment special report in the 27 May-
2 June issue
Source: Flight International
